Princess Marie of Denmark
, (née Marie Agathe Odile Cavallier; born 6 February 1976) is the second wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark. Early life Marie Cavallier was born in Paris, France, on 6 February 1976. She is the only child of Alain Cavallier and Françoise Grassiot. When her parents divorced, Marie moved to Geneva, Switzerland, with her mother. Marie has two older, maternal half-brothers: Benjamin and Gregory Grandet, and two younger, paternal half-brothers: Charles and Edouard Cavallier. Education After the divorce, Marie was sent to the Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil boarding school in Switzerland. She attended Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, for a brief time, to study international business and economics and then went on to study economics in Geneva. Marie earned a Bachelor of Arts at Marymount Manhattan College. In addition to French, Marie speaks English, Spanish, Italian, and Danish. Career In 1994, while still in college, Marie worked for Estée Lauder as assistant to the public relations manager. She also worked as an assistant to the managing director of ING Numismatic Group SA in Geneva. After graduating, Marie started working for DoubleClick Inc, an international advertising agency, in New York as international marketing coordinator. Back in France, she worked for advertising agency Media Marketing. Marie then worked for Reuters' financial news agency Radianz in Switzerland, took a position with REInvest in Geneva, and worked as executive secretary in ING Numismatic Group SA until her engagement. Personal Life Courtship & Engagement Marie first came to public attention when she was photographed on a private holiday in Avignon, France, with Prince Joachim in August 2005. She celebrated the New Year 2006/2007 with Prince Joachim, his former wife Alexandra, and their sons Nikolai and Felix, as well as close friends. In January 2007, Marie accompanied Prince Joachim and his children on a ski holiday in Switzerland. Later that year, Marie joined the royal family for Easter at Marselisborg Palace, where she met Joachim's mother, Margrethe II, for the first time. Marie increasingly made weekend visits from Geneva to Denmark in 2007. :See Engagement of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Marie Cavallier On 3 October 2007, it was officially announced that Marie and Joachim were engaged. Marriage :See Wedding of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Marie Cavallier The couple's wedding took place on 24 May 2008 in Møgeltønder Church. Marie, who had been a French citizen and a member of the Roman Catholic Church, became, in connection with the marriage, a Danish citizen and a member of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Denmark. Issue Marie and Joachim have two children: *[[Prince Henrik of Denmark|Prince Henrik Carl Joachim Alain]] (born 4 May 2009) *[[Princess Athena of Denmark|Princess Athena Marguerite Françoise Marie]] (born 24 January 2012) Marie is also stepmother to Prince Joachim's sons from his first marriage, Prince Nikolai (1999) and Prince Felix (2002). Godchildren Marie is a godmother to: *Tanguy Peretti (born 2000; son of Marie's cousin Sonia Dollfus Peretti and her husband Gabriel Peretti) *Sofie Agnete Davidsen Siesbye (born 2009; daughter of Oscar and Britt Davidsen Siesbye) *Agathe Anna Steenstrup (born 2009; daughter of Peter and Henriette Steenstrup) *Princess Josephine of Denmark (born 2011) * Nicholas Christian Iuel Bendtner (born 2011; son of Caroline Fleming and Nicklas Bendtner) Interests Marie is an avid sportswoman and has a passion for skiing, racing, and boxing. Public Life Marie started her role as Princess of Denmark shortly after her wedding, while attending with her husband events and activities from his patronages. In September 2008, she gave an interview to Danish magazine Billed Bladet, in which she explained that she was in the process of making a decision on her areas of interest. Activities and Visits |-|2008= 28 October: Her first engagement and trip abroad was to Morocco, where she handed out Lego toys to orphanage children in Rabat. |-|2009= November: Her third official trip was to Hong Kong and China with Prince Joachim. |-|2010= March: She undertook her fourth official visit abroad was to Mexico City with Prince Joachim. April: Marie paid a working visit to the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris as patron for the organization. Patronages Marie's patronages include: *Tønder Festival, 2009: an international folk music festival near her official residence Shackenborg Manor in Møgeltønder *Annual Literature Prize, 2009: an annual prize awarded for French-language literature in Copenhagen *Syddansk Universitet, September 2009 *Danish National Commission for UNESCO, 17 November 2009 *Danish Ski Federation, January 2010 *The AIDS Foundation *Autism Denmark *Danish Epilepsy Association and Kattegatcentret Titles, Styles, and Honours Titles and Styles *'6 February 1976 - 24 May 2008:' Miss Marie Agathe Odile Cavallier *'24 May 2008 - present:' ''Her Royal Highness'' Princess Marie of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat Honours ;National Honours * Knight of the Order of the Elephant (R.E.) * Royal Family Order of Queen Margrethe II ;Foreign Honours * : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II * : Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose * : Grand Officer of the Order of the Legion of Honour * : Grand Cross of the Order of Beneficence * : Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon * : Grand Cross of the Order of the Aztec Eagle * : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav * : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown ;Medals * 11 June 2009: Commemorative 75th Birthday Medal of His Royal Highness The Prince Consort * 16 April 2010: Commemorative 70th Birthday Medal of Her Majesty The Queen * 14 January 2012: Commemorative Ruby Jubilee Medal of Her Majesty The Queen * 16 April 2015: Commemorative 75th Birthday Medal of Her Majesty The Queen External links *Official website: Danish, English, French Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:Princesses by marriage Category:House of Monpezat Category:Danish princesses Category:Countesses of Monpezat Category:People from Geneva Category:People from Paris Category:Converts to Lutheranism from Roman Catholicism Category:Danish people of French descent Category:Naturalised citizens of Denmark Category:Princess Marie of Denmark